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Friday, August 31, 2012

* start of a new series which takes place in Cedar Cove, after that series *

Jo Marie lost her husband in a helicopter accident in Afghanistan. They weren't married that long, but his death left a huge whole in her life. She didn't want to stay in her house.

Jo Marie found the perfect bed and breakfast for sale. Before she knew it, she was the new owner. From the moment she stepped foot in it, it just felt right. Now she hopes to make other people feel that same sense of belonging.

Her first two guests seem to come with baggage of their own. Josh came back to town to deal with the upcoming death of his stepfather - the man who threw him out of his house. He's never dealt with his anger against the man and it call comes rushing back to him. Angie hasn't been back home since the tragedy years ago when a car accident took the life of her best friend. She's buried herself with guilt since that night and barely allowed herself to breathe. Can these two guest comes to terms with their past and find peace at the Inn at Rose Harbor?

My Thoughts: I adored the Cedar Cove series and I'm so happy to see favorite characters popping up in this new series. It's like visiting with old friends. I enjoyed getting to know Jo Marie. I like watching her healing process and learning more about her past life. I loved reading the details about her purchasing the inn, getting it ready, and running the inn. I loved Rover and how Jo Marie found him. I can't wait to read more of their adventures. Both Josh and Angie had such sad stories, but I liked reading about how they each confronted their past. My heart broke of each of these characters, but I admired their strength and their courage. I'm so looking forward to more guests at the inn and reading more about one of my favorite fictional towns.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Here's the last edition of what teens in Norwich, CT have been reading this summer.

I hope that you enjoyed our series.

This is me from now on

Natalie

I really enjoyed the way the main
character transferred from an uptight person to a mellow person because of
her new friend Francesca. I would definitely recommend this book.

Doctor Who: Sting of the Zygons

Julia

Its 1909 and another adventure for
Doctor and Martha. Strange people, cows, and an old enemy of the Doctor's who
might just surprise you. a compelling read for anyone who likes a good sy-fy
story.

Don't judge a girl by her cover

Jessica

I thought this book was a great
development from the previous books in the series. It led the series into a
great twist and included more information about the main character's past yet
it also included more unsolved mysterious. This book is a fun and easy read
for the summer.

Hatchet

Christina

I really enjoyed how he managed to
survive all on his own. Well not really he also had his hatchet. There were
some moments where I was like whats going to happen. For example when he
drinks the water from the the lake he got really sick.

Just Ella

Shun Yi

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson
Haddix is the retell of Cinderella with a twist. I liked it, because, instead
of showing Cinderella as a helpless, poor girl who's always put down by her
step-evils and was finally aided by her fairy godmother to the ball, Just
Ella portraits Ella, a girl who’s not afraid to stand up to her stepmother,
who’s very intelligent, and who saved herself at the end by taking control of
her own destiny.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

post and LOVED the idea. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by Broke and Bookish and looks super fun. I thinkI'm going to start participating in this meme. So even though I'm a day late to the party, here's my confessions:

1. I'm a horrible library patron, even though I'm a librarian. I hoard books - I usually have 20-40 books checked out and another 20 books on hold. There's no way I can read them all at the same time, but I NEED them!

2. I have a hard time finishing series that I love: Percy Jackson and Secrets of the Immortal Life of Nicholas Flamel are two big ones. Mostly I think I just don't want to books to end and if I don't finish them, they'll never end. Strange I know. Plus now I think I have to re-read the previous books because I've forgotten the details. It's hard for me to re-read books because there are so many that I need to read.

3. I like my books pristine - I don't crack the covers. I don't dog ear the pages. I don't leave them upside down for a moment. I don't use the books as a surface when I need something to write on. I hate it when others treat my books this way (This includes the library books in the YA collection - even though those books aren't technically mine)

4. I'm such a nerd that sometimes I use a bookmark that corresponds with the book I'm reading - pizza for a book about baking or romance bookmark for the latest regency romance I'm reading

5. I read widely - from pictures books to adult books. And I have a goal of 365 books/year. This year, I'm about 7 books behind my goal.

6. I usually only review books that I like - thus most of reviews contain LOVE. People have told me that I use love to much to describe books - but I can't help it, I do love books!

7. I no longer feel bad about not finishing a book. I used to make myself finish everything, but there are too many books that I want to read to waste time on ones that aren't for me. In fact, I just stopped reading one this morning.

8. I have a ton of books that I've purchased that I haven't read yet

9. I'll never read all the books I want to read and this saddens me, but I'm going try!

10. My home library is set up in categories - often with my favorite books at the top of the bookcase.

My Librarian friend Jess from I Read to Relax came up with a great idea.
It's to highlight the books on hold at the library. I usually have
20-40 items checked out at the library and another 20 items on hold.

I Left My Heart: A bind-up of two of her previous novels which I haven't read

Hidden: I LOVE this series - filled with dragons, romance, and family drama. I can't wait to see how this trilogy ends

Such a Rush: I Love Jennifer Echols' books! They're amazing. I can't wait to read her newest book. I can't believe someone put it on hold before I did (actually I can, I just don't like it :) )

Dear Cinderella: I love books about Princesses! Plus this talks about their lives after their happily-ever-afters

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

**Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens. Join the fun! **

Rose's parents own a bakery. It's not an ordinary bakery. They follow recipes from the Bliss Cookery Booke - which includes magical ingredients. The recipes are written in story format. Best of all, the goodies make people happy.Rose's excited at the idea of baking with magic. When will her parents allow her to really help in the family business? She's getting tired of waiting. Then her parents are called away on an important mission. They give Rose a key to secret room, where they keep the cookbook. Rose is under strict instructions NOT to use the book. She promises, but things get out of hand when Aunt Lily appears.Rose has never heard of Aunt Lily, but soon she becomes part of the family. Rose's brothers want to experiment with the book. They convince Rose to copy out a few recipes and try them. The results are a disaster. Each recipe they try, they just make it worse. Can they fix things before their parents come home?

My Thoughts: A magical bakery = sold. I loved this idea and really enjoyed reading this one. I loved the magical elements to the story - the secret ingredients, the secret rooms, the cookbook made from stories. I enjoyed the squabbling between Rose and her brothers, but liked how they pulled together. The small town feel of the this book made it more delightful. Everyone knew everyone's business, which made their bad behavior more amusing. I loved the descriptions of the librarians fighting, the girls going crazy over Ty, and the disco party. I'm so interested to see where this series will continue after the cliff hanger ending!Cover Thoughts: Great, it made me want to read the book. Plus I love the wrap around cover!Source: My Library

Monday, August 27, 2012

Her mom's made it clear that Noelle ruined her life. She barely talks to Noelle, except to complain about her life. She certainly isn't interested in Noelle's life.

Noelle tries to keep her head down, hoping that everything will turn out OK. She hates that people laugh at her. She hates having to scrape together lunch - sometimes just a lettuce and condiments sandwich.

She has her best friend to help her make it through the day. She has a secret crush, who makes her day by talking to her. Can she find the strength in herself to keep holding on?

My Thoughts: I can't say I loved reading this book, because it's not a happy book. It's a book that makes you think, a book that stays with you long after you've finished it. It's a book you wish every teen would read and talk about.Keep Holding On is a powerful novel about bullies, neglect, and the hardships of high school. I couldn't put it down. I cried over it. My heart broke for Noelle, but I admired her too.

Cover Thoughts: I like it, but it doesn't match the seriousness of book
Source: BEA

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Zoe's been hurt in the past by a long list of people, including her father but most recently her ex-husband. She's not looking for romance, she's simply happy and content with her life.

But romance comes in the form of grumpy Alex Nolan. He had a horrific childhood and an even worse marriage. He doesn't believe that he should be happy. He drank to numb his pain, but is just realize the depths of his drinking issues. As he tries to dry out, a ghost enters his life.

The ghost won't or can't leave him alone. The ghost can't remember much about his former life expect in bits and pieces. He knows that he's tied to Alex and might be responsible for helping him.

Can the three of them find peace and happiness together in Friday Harbor?

My Thoughts: I love the Friday Harbor series - romance with a little bit of magic all wrapped up in a good story. I love reading about the Nolan brothers. I love the dreamy atmosphere, I want to live in Friday Harbor. I love how protective Alex feels of Zoe. I like how he warns her off him, but can't stop hanging out with her. I really enjoyed the moments between Zoe and her grandmother. I reminded me of the moments between myself and my grandmother. I bet she would have liked this book too and I wish she was still alive so we could talk about it together over a cup of hot chocolate. Friday Harbor books feel like you're enveloped in your grandmother's love and drinking the best hot chocolate, it's rich, sweet, and charming.

Cover Thoughts: Gorgeous, but it isn't how I imagined Zoe
Source: My Library

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Clare's trying to keep up with the times, so she recently purchased a food truck. Muffin Muse has been gaining lots of attention lately, thanks to Clare and her new consultant Lily.

Lily's working on creating healthy, but tasty snacks to combine with Clare's coffees. Together they've been the toast of the food blogs, which is angering one particular food truck owner.

During an altercation, just outside The Blend, Lily's run over by a white van. At the moment she's in critical condition, but Clare's determined to figure out what happened. The driver drove away, without even hitting the brakes. To Clare that can only mean one thing - attempted murder.

Can she figure out what happened in Lily's past that would cause her to believe she deserves this horrible accident?

My Thoughts: Although I don't like coffee, I adore this series. I love all the talk about food and coffee. I can imagine myself in a great coffee shop just like The Blend, enjoying tea and a treat while reading a book. It's a perfect place. I like the New York setting. I like the addition of the food trucks - they're huge right now. I guessed the ending right before it happened, which is unusual for me. I love the cast of characters - especially Clare's family - Madame, Joy, and even her ex-husband. But I adore the moments between Clare and Mike - especially learning about Crazy Quinn. I liked the ending and can't wait to see what happens next between the two of them.

Jessica
prefers flip flops all the way to heels. She was teased in Paris when
she wore flip flops (which the French call “tongs”) to a bar. Apparently
in France, that’s just unheard of.

This is actually the perfect trivia for my blog - because I'm a HUGE lover in flip-flops. I wore them all over my trip to Europe in college. Plus I got married in them! I'm so happy to be part of this blog tour, but I really adore Jessica's books. So much so that I pass them on to my sister -who also loves them. Then I pass them out to teens at the library...you get the idea. Check out my review for 52 Reasons....

About 52 Reasons to Hate My Father (FSG, July 2012)

Being America’s favorite heiress is a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it.

Lexington
Larrabee has never to work a day in her life. After all, she’s the
heiress to the multi-billion-dollar Larrabee Media empire. And heiresses
are not supposed to work. But then again, they’re not supposed to crash
brand new Mercedes convertibles into convenience stores on Sunset Blvd
either.

Which is why, on Lexi’s
eighteenth birthday, her ever-absent, tycoon father decides to take a
more proactive approach to her wayward life. Every week for the next
year, she will have to take on a different low-wage job if she ever
wants to receive her beloved trust fund. But if there’s anything worse
than working as a maid, a dishwasher, and a fast-food restaurant
employee, it’s dealing with Luke, the arrogant, albeit moderately
attractive, college intern her father has assigned to keep tabs on her.

In
a hilarious “comedy of heiress” about family, forgiveness, good
intentions, and best of all, second chances, Lexi learns that love can
be unconditional, money can be immaterial, and, regardless of age,
everyone needs a little saving. And although she might have 52 reasons
to hate her father, she only needs one reason to love him.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Lexington Larrabee had the perfect life. On the eve on her 18th birthday, it all changed.

When she crashed her new car into a convenience store, her father decided it was the last straw. She wasn't going to inherit her $25 million. Instead, he devised a plan for her. She was to work one job each week for a year.

At first Lexi balked at the idea. Her father refused to budge. He did however provide her with transportation. Luke, her father's college intern, made sure she got to her assignments on time. Luke was essentially, her babysitter.

Lexi isn't sure she wants to survive this year. Luke convinces her to show everyone what she's made of - show them that she can thrive on this year. She just might surprise them...and herself.

My Thoughts: I love Jessica Brody's books! They always funny, charming, witty, and have a fun romance. I really enjoyed watching Lexington attempt to talk, bribe, or beg her way out of the jobs. I loved the moments between her and Luke - the snarky ones and the sweet ones. I love watching Lexi grow and change with each job and ultimately figure out her life.

Cover Thoughts: Cute

Source: my Library

Come back to the blog tomorrow to see my stop on the 52 Reasons tour and to see the book trailer I created!

I love the fantasy and adventure
in this book. It is an extraordinary twist to the classic fantasy genre. I
recommend this book to everyone.

Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of
Gorlan

Julia

A book about an orphaned boy named
Will whose accepted into the Mysterious Ranger Corps, A group that the commen
folk belive practice the dark arts. Pick up this book today to follow Will in
his first adventure.

Rocky Road Trip

Anita

The main character Courtney, who
was struggling to make her long distance relationship work, turned out to
like the college she is attending, Cornwall Falls. She worked at Bagle
Finagle, her work-study job, and formed a strike against the use of the
letters CFC as school initials while trying to make her long distance
relationship work. I really liked this book and would like to check out other
books written by this author.

Monster High

Brittany

I really enjoyed reading this
book. I started to read these because I like the shows.I also like the
misteriouse mythical characters. I like this book so much that I am going to
read book number 2. Yes I do recommend this book to others.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

My Librarian friend Jess from I Read to Relax came up with a great idea. It's to highlight the books on hold at the library. I usually have 20-40 items checked out at the library and another 20 items on hold.

Shades of Milk and Honey: I saw someone reading book 2 at BEA and she convinced me to read it, so I'm going to give it a try.

Dark Mirror: This looks really good (historical with an upcoming London Season ruined by the terrible secret of Magic!). Plus my coworkers loved it!

Corsets and Clockwork: Ever since reading the Steampunk Chronicles, I've been interested in more steampunk books. These stories look great.

Grammy Lamby and the Secret Handshake: I adore the 34 Old Cemetery Road books this duo due creates. Looking forward to looking at their other books.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

* book 2 in the Time Traveling Fashionista series. Read my review for this first book***Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens. Join the fun! **

Louise's father just lost his job. With money a concern, Louise won't be going to France with her classmates. She's bitterly disappointed. A vintage sale cheers her up some, even though it's hard not telling her best friend about the sale. It's been even harder not telling her best friend about her adventure aboard the Titanic. As Louise looks through clothes, she spies the most amazing dress. She's not supposed to try it on, but she ducks into a dressing room with it. Immediately she's transported to France - to the court of Marie Antoinette.At first, she likes the parties and the elaborate gowns. Soon she comes to remember that something bad happens to the young Princess. Louise attempts to steer the Princess in a different path. Can she leave France before the revolution starts?

My Thoughts: I liked the time travel concept through vintage clothes. I like how Louise made it to France, just not the time she intended to go. I like meeting Marie Antoinette and seeing her world from an outsider's perspective. She had so much pressure on her and so little knowledge of the world. I love how each stop in history leaves a mark on Louise and how she'll never forget those moments. I loved the information Louise discovers about time travel and I'm so interested to see how that ties into the next book!I can't wait to see the final copy of the book complete with color illustrations.Cover Thoughts: Cute!Source: Little Brown Pub Date: This book comes out Sept 18th

Monday, August 20, 2012

Zoe's torn between the two guys in her life. Jared's older and isn't in contact with her. She feels a huge spark whenever she's near him. Then there's Derek. He's a werewolf shifter who wants to turn their friendship into something more.He wants to take Zoe to the Valentine Dance.

Zoe doesn't want to lose him and while Jared has her heart, she really likes Derek. Before she can determine the next step in her love life, her dreams force her to take a deep look at the future.

Her dreams lead her to believe that the victory over the Mages will be short lived. They might have a way to Nightshade - the powerful knife. They want to kill all the young shifters - the ones who are following Zoe into battle.

Will disagreements about plan and the future tear apart their fragile alliance? Is the future coming sooner than people believe? Can Zoe and her friends beat impossible odds again?

My Thoughts: I really enjoy this series for the action, the danger, and the romance. I like the tension between Zoe and her high school classmates. I love her dragon friends. I liked seeing more of Jessica in this installment. I love Zoe's strength and her loyalty. I like how she attempts to figure out her dreams, which are cryptic. I can't wait to see what happens next to these characters as the battle for their lives.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

The Otis Library has been participating in the Connecticut Author Trail since it started 4 years ago. This year, Kady Cross was our author.

Kady writes three different types of books with three different publishers. She uses different voices for each name, which allows her to write for different ages, without worrying that fans will find her older books.
She also writes under Kate Cross and Kate Locke.

With Harlequin Teen, she writes under Kady Cross. (Reviews of Girl in the Steel Corsetand Girl in a Clockwork Collar). She hopes the Steampunk Chronciles will have 5 books in the series. The next book will be about Emily, with her on the cover and maybe we her robot cat! I can't wait to see that cover (and of course read the book!) She uses a book on Victorian inventions and her husband (a science buff) for ideas on how to incorporate technology into this fabulous series.

She grew up in Nova Scotia, out in the middle of nowhere. A bookmobile would come around, which was fabulous. Bags of books were brought home and devoured.

Kady knew she liked writing when she was 8 and her teacher read her story aloud to her classmates. Everyone laughed in all the right spots and she thought, I could get used to this. Kady started writing her first romance at the age of 10, which was set in the deep south. She used to write stories for her classmates for their required silent reading period during school hours.

In her mid 20s, she quit her job and went back to school. Her boyfriend (now husband) encouraged her to write a book. When she finished it, she sent it to 4 publishing houses. Avon offered her a two book deal.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

High school teacher Laura Reed notices that one of students has been skipping class. She's almost positive that something serious is happening in Misty's life. When she tries to connect with the teen, Misty bolts.

Misty's trying to find a solution to a very bad bullying situation. When she attempts to get a doctor's note for school, he forces her to share her thoughts with an adult. He threatens to tell her parents if she doesn't. Misty's parents are going through a divorce. Her mother's in her world world of deny and heartache and her father's never home.

Misty shares a small portion on the truth with Miss Reed. It's enough to make Miss Reed even more concerned. Misty doesn't reveal the name of her bully. Miss Reed contacts Dr J.C. Fullerton once Misty admits that he's forcing her to say something. Together the two of them vow to make things right for Misty again. Can they stop the bullying before it destroys her?

My Thoughts: This is a heartbreaking novel, but a very important novel. I think it's the perfect read for mothers and daughters in high school. My heart broke for Misty and all her troubles. I admired her strength. I admired Katie for standing up for her friend and standing by her. I liked how the teachers came together to help solve the problem, instead of ignoring the issue.

The romance was cute, I liked the banter between J.C. and Laura. I liked how neither of them wanted a relationship, but fell into it anyways. The gossips among town always makes me laugh. The small town feel reminds me of Stars Hollow.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Following the ending to the first book, Griffin, Finely, Sam, and Emily travel to New York City to rescue their friend Jasper. While Jasper never talked about his past, he's kept a large secret from his friends.

Jasper got himself mixed up with scoundrels and mixed up in love. Now those scoundrels are threatening to harm the girl he used to (and probably could again) love. They want him to locate the item he stole.

Unfortunately for him, he broke the item into several pieces. Now he has to go all over the city recovering said item, hoping that Ming isn't ill treated, while pretending that he's going to come out of this situation alive and well.

Meanwhile, the other four do their best to help uncover the truth about Jasper's disappearance and the people he's hanging out with again.

My Thoughts: I'm LOVING this series. As soon as I finished the first book, I immediately devoured this book too. I loved the change in setting and looking at New York City in a different light. I loved Finely's strength to infiltrate a gang without causing too much suspicion. I'm impressed by her snark and attitude. I liked how she stood up to Dalton - not showing her fear and not giving in to him. I enjoyed the moments of banter between her and Jasper, but I loved the moments between her and Griffin. I can't wait for more books in this series!

Cover Thoughts: Great - I love the necklace
Source: BEA - from Harlequin!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

The Alex Rider series is probably
my favorite action series ever. I love that there's unexpected things on
everyone page and the plot. I recommend this book to everyone who likes a
good action-filled book.

Fairest

Shun Yi

Since I don't like fairy tales, I
always moan when our teacher makes us read anything like that. But Fairest is
a tale with NO fairies. And also, you can really see how Aza wants to be
beautiful. It's one of my favorite books, a fantastic book and it's about a
girl who wants to 1, be pretty 2, rid herself of queen Ivi's dangerous deeds,
and 3, marry the prince and be his friend. She has wonderful singing and all
the praise she gets in the books is unbelievable, like she's a famous
person.

Brian's Winter

Evan

Another one of Gary Paulsen's
stunningly realistic books. Such a great series. This book was my second
favorite in the saga. It's definitely a great read I recommend it to ages
10-14.

From the Mixed up Files of
Mrs.Basil E. Frankweiler

Dillon

I enjoyed how Claudia and Jamie
did not want to do a old fashioned runaway so instead of running away from
some where they would run to some where. I also loved the way they got in to
the museum by waiting until the museum closed and the guards left and they
snuck in from the back door.

Double Vision: Alex Rider meets the Da Vinci Code = Sold! I love the idea of this combinationIron Hearted Violet: The story about a clever Princess, the last dragon, and one enchanted tale.Keeper of Lost Cities: I just started reading this one - and it's really interested. It's about one girl discovering who she really is and uncover secrets of the world.

Breathe: 3 teens try to survive above ground, with a couple days worth of manufactured oxygenStealing Parker: Loved Catching Jordan - so looking forward to reading about Parker and trying to deal with her mother's scandal and how that changes her life.

Jennifer

About Me:

After spending 11 years as a Young Adult Librarian, I moved libraries and became a Children's and YA Librarian. I love love love books and talking about reading (which is why I started this blog)

My favorite types of books include mysteries, romance, thrillers, and spy books. I adore crafty books, regency romances, and cozy mysteries. When I'm not reading or talking about books, I love baking, crafting, watching the Celtics, or snuggling with my two dogs.